The Crusaders clicked for the first time this season to record a bonus point victory over the Bulls.

The Crusaders recorded a 41 – 19 win after leading 22 – 9 at half time.

Three tries in each half for the Crusaders got them their first win of the season, this after a slow start to the Super Rugby season. Six tries played a single try from the Bulls, who struggled to keep up with the pace the Crusaders were playing with.

The match started slowly with plenty of handling errors from the Crusaders, who just could not hold on to any passes. Once the passes stuck though, it was game over as the Crusaders’ confidence grew with each try they scored.

Robbie Fruean went from villain to hero, dropping three balls in the first 10 minutes, only to be on the end of a run to score the first try. Once he went over, his confidence was back and was a menace to the Bulls for the remainder of the match.

The Bulls simply could not maintain the momentum they got with their win over the blues last week, with the players looking tired and not getting over the advantage line with ball in hand. Once they started playing catch up rugby, the shift in focus did not work and they fell well short in attacking prowess.

The Bulls’ record of losing the second tour match continued, as their plan to win the first match on tour backfires for the second match. The jetlag kicked in this week as the players generally looked undercooked.

The Crusaders now await the courageous Kings while the Bulls leave New Zealand for the sunny shores of Brisbane, where they take on the Reds.